


More Than A Friend

by justcallmeIVY



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Love Confessions, POV First Person, Reader-Insert, Romance, requests open
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22974874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justcallmeIVY/pseuds/justcallmeIVY
Summary: You’ve fallen in love with your best friend, but you’re not sure if he feels the same way and now there’s tension.Daryl Dixon/Reader
Relationships: Daryl Dixon & You, Daryl Dixon/Original Character(s), Daryl Dixon/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 121





	More Than A Friend

Daryl uses a thick branch to tease the embers with and sets a small log on top, you come close to the fire and watch as the wood takes to the flame. Pleased with the result he shuffles back for a seat on top of the black sleeping bag and reaches for his crossbow. It’s the first night of Winter and the cold has settled in; after avoiding Daryl for a few weeks- his iciness is apparent as well. You hold your hands over the fire and rub them together in an effort to keep warm. Sneaking a glance at him every now and again with a heavy heart.

“Hey.” The heat of your breath causes a small amount of steam to lick the air, more evidence as to the drop in temperature. In the middle of wiping over his crossbow with an oiled rag he pauses to look at you. One brow cocked and eyes curious.

“Wha’?”

“It’s kind of chilly…” You hope that he will pick up on the clue that you want to be closer to him, but Daryl’s strong points lay in strength, cunning and survival; not reading between the lines.

“Get in bed then.” He shrugs before going back to his work. You want to say what you were thinking, what you had wanted for a long time and what the reason was that made you so distant with him- but the idea of being so forward made you feel nauseous. You stuff your hands into the hoodie’s front pocket and go in search of Michonne, leaving him in his own company. It was easy to find your way through the woods with the thinness of the treetops and the full moonlight. You eventually found her a few yards away, patrolling the perimeter with a katana in hand. She heard the crunch of footsteps on dead leaves and didn’t bother to look back when she spoke.

“What are you doing out here?” She always knew when it was you. The gap between you both became smaller when she turned. “You should be sleeping.” She reprimands, you sigh at the comment.

“Can’t.” She sheathes the weapon and crosses two arms over her chest, even in the dark you could still make out the mildly frustrated appearance.

“And why not?”

“Falling asleep in the cold doesn’t work for me, it keeps me alert. I came out here to ask if ya wanted to swap around? I’ll take this shift and you take the morning one.” You offer. But Michonne wasn’t easy to fool, she had an ability to read a person without even asking questions and she knew you only wanted to avoid Daryl. For the past few months, you had been confiding in her about the blossoming infatuation you had for the archer while she encouraged you to share the confession with the man himself. However, in fear of losing somebody so important to you- you refuse to bring it to his attention. Choosing instead to suffer emotional turmoil alone or with your friend. It wasn’t working very well.

“I’ve got this one.” She answers sternly. “You go back.”

“I really can’t, Chonne. I’m so awake right now-.” Her hand finds your shoulder and she squeezes it tight, a gentle gesture of reassurance.

“You’ve been on watch for the past two nights; you need to rest. I know you’ve been trying to evade Daryl but you have to face him at some point, he’s not blind to it. If you’re cold, I’m sure he won’t mind if you ask him to help keep you warm.” You recoil at the comment and shake your head.

“Absolutely not.”

“I think it’s worth a try.” You scoff.

“Let me do this, please.” You pull your hands into a prayer formation and step closer, begging her to give you the relief you need.

“No. Now go back.” _Ugh_. Trying to change Michonne’s mind about something was like trying swim up a waterfall, entirely impossible. With a quick goodnight and a defeated exit, you make your way back and reflect on the relationship you have with Daryl.

You and your late husband shared a camp with Daryl Dixon six days after the outbreak and during those initial months neither of you spoke to one another. There was no reason to. It wasn’t until the night that the camp was attacked by a small horde that you finally crossed paths, your husband was bit during the assault and Daryl was the one who shot him to save you. Since that day you have both supported one another and grew very close. You share a home, duties, lives and a mutual feeling of responsibility for the other. Daryl had become the most reliable thing in your life and you his. The thoughts you had of him had never gone beyond platonic for a majority of the time, but during your days in Alexandria you found that they had become something more. The safety of the walls made you realize that you still need him now just as much as you did out there; that your companionship is more than just a need for survival- it is love. Unfortunately, Daryl had never shown any sign of reciprocating the feelings you have. His stare doesn’t linger, he doesn’t treat you differently than anyone else and he is unphased by your interactions with the other men- but those are things you now have issues with. You always look at him, you give him more attention than the others and it made you feel vulnerable when he focused on anyone for too long. Which was why you had started to keep your distance from him. Wishfully hoping that the time apart would help you become less reliant on finding happiness within him… But it makes you feel vacant.

The walk back had felt shorter than the walk away from it. Daryl was still in the same position, but now he is staring at the fire with his crossbow to the side. Once you reach the camp, he eyes you over.

“Wha’s wrong?” You attempt to give him a surprised expression, as though the idea of there being a problem had never crossed your mind; but he knows when you are lying. “Ya been ignorin’ me for weeks, what is it?” He presses, you shake your head and go to your sleeping bag.

“Nothing, Daryl. See you in the morning.” You lay with your back to the fire. No matter how many times you try to bury yourself a little more into the bag it does nothing. Your nose is cold, your ears are cold, the ground is uneven and you find no comfort in any of it. The cushiness of Alexandria had truly softened you to the elements and you can’t wait to be back there. To feel the softness of a mattress beneath you, the cover of shelter and the cocoon of blankets you would always wake up wrapped within.

“Hey.”

You prop yourself up and turn to him. His expression is mixed and you can’t place a finger on what it is.

“Yeah?”

“Ya cold?” You nod cautiously and he flicks his head toward the spot beside him. “Bring ya stuff over.” Your face must have given away your surprise and hesitation because he did it again. You swiftly collect your things and set everything down close to him. Before you make a move to lay out the bag, you look over.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Comforted by his confident reply you spread out, slide into your bag and sit up in it, watching as he mimics your actions. “Open ya bag.” He prompts. You look over, puzzled at his request while he begins to undo his own.

“What? Why?” He sends you a brief smile and continues to urge you to do as he asked.

“They’ll zip togeth’a.” At the words your mouth went dry and you swallowed hard. He wants to share his space with you, space you desired to be in for months.

“Really?” You ask softly.

“Jus’ thought it’ll help.”

You smile at his reply and nod, shakily undoing your side of the zipper as he waits quietly. Once you’re done, he presses the two together and with a few adjustments you now sit side by side in the same bag. You have never been so close with Daryl, this territory is virgin and you’re unsure of how casual you can keep yourself now that the barrier is broken. You both look at one another for a short time. It feels different. It feels, new. His eyes search yours and you bite your lip to keep yourself present instead of in your mind. He watches you do it and clears his throat.

“Ya wanna lie down?” His face is so close to yours that you almost don’t hear what he said. Not trusting your voice, you choose to nod as a reply and eventually find yourself under the covers with Daryl’s front pressed against your back. The warmth is instant. Obviously unsure of how far he should go Daryl keeps himself immobile as to allow you to find the right position, he always lets you choose first in everything. Momentarily lost in the new luxury of his body and the heat, you curl into him and he tenses at the movement. Mortified at your slip-up you pull away as far as you can.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” The words were desperately self-conscious and you selfishly hope that he doesn’t want to separate from you.

“Put ya head up.” Your brows knot together.

“Why?”

“Cause my arm hurts.” He grunts. Realising what he intends to do you make a soft ‘oh’ noise and do as he asks. His arm slides its way beneath your neck and your head comes to rest on it.

“Better?” You ask, your heart thumping so hard you were sure that he could feel it in your pulse and through your chest.

“Yeah.” His arm wasn’t anywhere near as plush as the pillows you had back home; but it was a close second. As you lay there and listen to his breathing your mind begins to race with a thousand different thoughts. Something like this wasn’t what you expected when Rick asked you all to go on a weekend run, not even remotely. For so long this is what you have wanted and now that it was happening you have no idea of what to do. You don’t have time to think it over for too long though.

“Why ya been ignorin’ me?” His tone is somewhat guarded and weary. A pang of guilt hits you in the chest when you realize that your avoidance has also caused confusion in him. “What’d I do?” You sigh.

“I-.” You thought of lying to him, or at least finding a way to bend the truth. But having him so close right now made you think differently about the situation. Although you care about Daryl as a friend- you want more. It isn’t your fault, it isn’t his- it’s just the reality of the situation. Your need for him ran deeper than companionship. Michonne was right all along. He is who you needed to talk to, and now was the chance. “I think I’m in love with you.” The words fly out of your mouth before you can filter them and his body stiffens at the news. Seconds feel like hours while you wait for a reply, and you fight the urge to throw yourself out of the blanket to get away from him. Your throat begins to constrict while your head berates you for being so careless with your words. This is it. You are about to lose Daryl.

“I’ve waited years to hear ya say those words.” He whispers. Stunned, you strain to turn around and face him. To ask whether or not you were in a dream or if he was joking. But he pulls you closer and refuses to let you move. “I told myself to wait. If ya didn’t come soon, then I’d wait longer. If ya didn’t come at all, well I’d still be there, watchin’ over ya. We’ve been through a lot-.”

“Daryl, I-.” He readjusts himself so you are cradled against him and his arm wraps around your middle beneath the blanket.

“Just let me say it, please. Before I don’.” His lips find your ear and you shudder at the feeling. “I love ya.”


End file.
